Gold Crown Billiards in Erie, PA hosted its 10th quarterly independent Nine-Ball tournament on Saturday, April 28th. The one day event has become increasingly popular and successful, sporting a full field of 64 players. The tournaments are noted for their unusual format.
Jason Grubb of Morgantown, West Virginia finished on top of a field of players from five states. Eddie Abraham of Philadelphia emerged from the one-loss bracket, having to defeat Grubb twice to win the tournament. Abraham got half way there when he defeated Grubb 7 to 5, forcing a second match. Grubb jumped out in front and never looked back, winning 6 to 1. Grubb received $650 for finishing 1st and Abraham received $400 for his efforts. More than $2700 in prizes and $6200 in player auction cash was divided up.
By utilizing a new modified double elimination format devised by proprietor Paul Schofield, hours are shaved off the time it takes to complete the event. Players who lose their first match early, play 2 or 3 fewer matches to reach finals than they would in the traditional format. Players who lose their first match late must play one extra match in order to reach finals. Schofield touts the format is easy to follow and is more equitable than standard double elimination.
The “No Conflict Rules” for racking and breaking, which are defined on the Gold Crown Billiards website, were employed for the 10th time. The unique feature of the rules is that the breaking player continues to shoot after a legal break, whether or not he makes a ball. Schofield boasts that the rules have removed all of the problematic issues surrounding the racking and breaking process. The matches proceed more quickly, and the players get along better, making for a smoother, more enjoyable tournament.
The Gold Crown's tournaments include a “Break and Run” competition, producing player ratings. Schofield has created his own system to rate players, using the break inning as a baseline to determine players' ability. Eddie Abraham and Rob Krull tied for 1st in the bonus competition with Gayle Flick finishing 3rd. The unique rating system has been utilized by the Gold Crown Billiards BCA Eight and Nine-Ball League since October 2008.
Gold Crown Billiards along with the in-house BCA League host the Tri-State Tournaments. Twenty-nine volunteers ran charts, cleaned tables, cleaned balls, and kept score for this most recent event. Every effort is put forth by Gold Crown, its staff, and regular clientele to run a highly organized event on solid equipment. The next event is scheduled for sometime in August. Event details are to to-be-announced.
